Philips SPC 900NC
Purchase price - 65.00$. Category - mid level. 6 March 2008 This Philips camera, is one of the best webcamera so far in a review made by me. Tested in March 2008. SPC 900NC is a nice middle level camera with integrated microphone. You can get this camera now at about 50-55$ in any on-line store, and I must say, it worths every cent of it. The camera has a nice clamp, I personally liked it even more than the Logitech Communicate STX's one. There is absolutely no problem in mounting it on any surface, whatever it's a LCD monitor or a desk. The mechanism is made of plastic, but has small rubber elements for better holding. There is no possibility however for rotating the camera on any side, unfortunately, just in front/back a little, plus lens are swiveling up and down. Surprisingly the focus is manual, didn't expected this in a camera in this price league, but it works pretty good, it's nothing like the focus in the Labtec Webcam 1200. One of the strongest parts of this webcam is the image quality in almost every condition, but especially in low light. There is Face Tracking for those who like it (digital zoom is used for this feature). One more thing really good at this product is the frame rate, it's up to 60fps, one big plus for those with a broadband connection. As a result of this the image goes very smooth. Images made by SPC900NC are very sharp in any condition, the colors are very nice, not too saturated or over exposed. In this webcam Philips is using a CCD VGA (640x480 or 330k) sensor, interpolated snapshot resolution is up to 1,3Mp. The lens (about 4mm in diameter) are located behind the protective glass. Integrated microphone sounds really good, comparable with the a separate mid quality mic. On each side of the camera body there is a button, one for snapshot, and one for quick launching the camera application software. Beneath there is a tripod mounting hole. Camera package contains a CD with: drivers, manuals and VLounge (a program for webcams from Philips, quite interesting and useful), Quick install guide , User Manual and the camera, packed in a nice white and blue carton box with plastic window.
Sample images: Pros: * Excellent in low light * Snapshot button * Good integrated microphone * Hi rate FPS * Nice mounting mechanism * Natural colors Cons: * The USB cable a little to thick * A little to bright led * Manual focus Verdict: Philips SPC 900NC is one of the best mid level webcam. I would recommend it, if your budget is around 60$.